by Anthony Hillman

Created on: February 02, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Clerks (1994)
Cast
Brian O'Hallaran - Dante Hicks
Jeff Anderson - Randal Graves
Marilyn Ghigliotti - Veronica Loughran
Lisa Spoonhauer - Caitlin Bree
Jason Mewes - Jay
Kevin Smith - Silent Bob
Lenin's Tomb - Cat

To create his first movie, Kevin Smith took out a loan, maxed out his credit cards, and sold his comic book collection to come up with the budget. It was filmed almost entirely at the local Quick Stop in which Kevin worked after hours. Because of this, the entire movie was filmed in grainy black and white, because it was cheaper.

The story is about a day in the life of over-educated, under-achieving, Quick Stop employee Dante Hicks, and his best friend Randal Graves who "works" in the adjacent RST Video. The simplest set-up for what is one of the best comedies of all-time - making realistic situations sometimes seem crazy... right down to the drug-dealing duo who spend their time hanging outside peddling their wares.

Mallrats (1995)
Cast
Jeremy London - T.S. Quint
Jason Lee - Brodie Bruce
Shannen Doherty - Rene Mosier
Claire Forlani - Brandi Svenning
Jason Mewes - Jay
Kevin Smith - Silent Bob
Ben Affleck - Shannon Hamilton
Joey Lauren Adams - Gwen Turner

The follow-up to Clerks follows pretty much the same formula. Two twenty-something under-achieving males spend the day at the mall, having long conversations, meeting strange characters - including X-Men/Spider-Man creator Stan Lee as himself - and trying to get their respective girlfriends back. The result is... well, a Kevin Smith movie.
Features Clerks supporting characters Jay and Silent Bob, Brian O'Halloran as Gil Hicks (Dante's cousin) as well as a pre-fame Ben Affleck.

Chasing Amy (1997)
Cast
Ben Affleck - Holden Mcneil
Jason Lee - Banky Edwards
Joey Lauren Adams - Alyssa Jones
Dwight Ewell - Hooper X

To many, this movie is considered to be Kevin's finest moment. The creators of up-and-coming comic book Bluntman & Chronic (based on the likenesses of Jay and Silent Bob) come up against the toughest point in their friendship. Not only does Holden not want to cash in on the comics success by creating an animated series - a decision Banky disagrees with - he is also in love.
It just so happens that the person he is in love with is a lesbian - creator of arty comic book Idiosyncratic Routine, Alyssa Jones.
The events that follow are the most touching Kevin Smith had directed up until that point - but still not straying from what Kevin does best, which is long, wordy, hilarious conversations. Starring Ben Affleck in the role that

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